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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

From Goodreads: Anastasia Romanov
thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started
and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come
for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two old hands reached
for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut
of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In
modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She
is more concerned about getting into a good college--until the dreams
start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a
small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not
until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her
life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save
Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams...

My Thoughts: I have been wanting to read this book for a long time and I'm so glad I finally got to it! It was definitely a fast and fun read. I loved how the author took the historical Anastasia and made her part of a really neat paranormal story. I have always been incredibly fascinated by all of the stories surrounding Anastasia and I think this one puts a really cool spin on it. There isn't a lot of true history in the story but I still really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed how she wove a lot of Russian folklore into the story. I don't know much about Russian folklore so I don't know how true she stayed to the old stories but I still thought it resulted in a great mix of history and folklore with a paranormal twist.

The author added some interesting aspects to the historical part of the story; she created an illegitimate son of Tsar Nicholas II and included a mysterious and magical Brotherhood whose goal was to protect Russia from the forces that were tearing it apart. I thought these additions worked well and made the story even more interesting. All of the characters were unique and made me love the story even more. This is the first book in a trilogy and I really can't wait to read the next one! 4 stars.

Monday, July 22, 2013

From Goodreads: Debated for more than
five centuries, the disappearance of the young princes Edward and
Richard from the Tower of London in 1483 has stirred the imaginations of
numerous writers from Shakespeare to Josephine Tey and posited the
question: Was Richard III the boys' murderer, or was he not? In a
captivating novel rich in mystery, color, and historical lore, Robin Maxwell offers a new, controversial perspective on this tantalizing enigma.

The
events are witnessed through the eyes of quick-witted Nell Caxton, only
daughter of the first English printer, William Caxton, and Nell's
dearest friend, "Bessie," daughter of the King of England, sister to the
little princes, and founding ancestress of the Tudor dynasty.

With
great bravery and heart, the two friends navigate this dark and
dangerous medieval landscape in which the king's death sets off a battle
among the most scheming, ambitious, and murderous men and women of
their age, who will stop at nothing to possess the throne of England.

My Thoughts: The mystery surrounding what happened to the 'Princes in the Tower' is one that seems as though it will never be resolved. I personally am super interested in this topic and I always like to see how authors address this topic and their opinions as to what really happened to the two young boys.

To the Tower Born is Robin Maxwell's tale of the events surrounding the disappearance of the boys and is a really fun and engaging story. It is told from the perspective of Nell Caxton and Elizabeth of York and creates a new version of events surrounding the rise of Richard III and the disappearance of Prince Edward and Dickon. While I am not sure how historically accurate the story is, I did find myself easily hooked. The story is fast paced and the characters, especially Nell, are really interesting. I was very surprised by Maxwell's version of events regarding the boys but personally I liked it (no matter how impossible it seemed). As always, I did appreciate the extensive author's note at the end of the book and the list of sources that Ms. Maxwell used. If you are looking for a light historical read, I would highly recommend this book. 3 1/2 stars.

Friday, July 19, 2013

From Goodreads: Archaeologist Verity
Grey has been drawn to the dark legends of the Scottish Borderlands in
search of the truth buried in a rocky field by the sea.

Her
eccentric boss has spent his whole life searching for the resting place
of the lost Ninth Roman Legion and is convinced he's finally found
it—not because of any scientific evidence, but because a local boy has
"seen" a Roman soldier walking in the fields, a ghostly sentinel who
guards the bodies of his long-dead comrades.

Here on the
windswept shores, Verity may find the answer to one of the great
unsolved mysteries of our time. Or she may uncover secrets someone
buried for a reason.

My Thoughts: I have no idea why I waited so long to read a Susanna Kearsley book! I own several of her books but for some reason I continuously put off reading any of them despite the rave reviews I have read. After reading The Shadowy Horses, I will be moving the rest of her books to the top of my TBR pile.

The Shadowy Horses seemed to have it all; history, mystery and romance with some archaeology thrown in. I was really fascinated by all of the explanations of the work surrounding an archaeological dig: the tools, procedures and people made for interesting reading. I also liked that the historical aspect of the story, the search for the Ninth Legion, was completely new to me. I always enjoy reading about historical events and periods that I am not familiar with and the mystery surrounding what happened to the Ninth Legion made for really good reading. And last but not least, I loved the ghost story. It added some creepiness and made me want to read more to find out exactly what this ghost was up to.

The characters in this story were great. There were likable, and not so likable, characters but they all brought something different to the story. Verity and David were by far two of my favorites but to be honest, all of the characters were pretty interesting. I think the author did a great job of putting a little romance between characters into the story but not so much that it overwhelmed everything else that was going on; the romance was part of the story but didn't make up the whole story.

The ending to the story was pretty cool and there were some major twists at the end which made for good reading. Overall, The Shadowy Horses is a wonderful read and I can't wait to pick up more of Kearsley's books. 4 stars.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

From Goodreads: Meredith
and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home
to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard: the other
followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous
photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and
Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold,
disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her
daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian
fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed,
their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy
tale will be told one last time - and all the way to the end. Thus
begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn
Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and
present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing
story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so
terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their
family and change who they believe they are.

My Thoughts: This was my first Kristin Hannah book and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was drawn to the book because of the Leningrad story line but fell in love with the story as a whole.

First and foremost, this is a story about the relationship between a mother and her children. It wasn't pretty and I really felt for Meredith and Nina as more and more was revealed about their childhood and their mother's treatment of them. I knew there would be more to explain Anya's cold and cruel treatment of her daughters but there were times early in the story where it was hard to like her. As the story progressed, the reader learns more about Anya's past and she morphs into this incredibly deep and beautiful character.A big chunk of the book is told by Anya to her daughters; it starts out as a fairy tale but quickly becomes Anya telling the story of her youth during the siege of Leningrad. Anyone who has read about the siege of Leningrad will know how awful her story was. It is Anya's story that helps her daughters understand their childhood and their relationship (or lack thereof) with their mother. Anya's story is heartbreaking but the more she tells it, the more the reader can see a weight lifted off of her. I won't give anything away but I loved the way the author ended the book. There was a little part of me that wished it could have ended in a slightly different way but overall, the ending was perfect. It was kind of a surprise and when all was revealed, I cried so much! Like I said above, I haven't read any of Kristin Hannah's books before but I will definitely be picking some up in the future. Her writing is amazing and she does a fantastic job of creating well-developed, relatable characters. I would highly recommend this book to any reader. 4 stars.

Monday, July 15, 2013

From Goodreads: With A Feast for Crows,
Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth volume of the landmark series
that has redefined imaginative fiction and stands as a modern
masterpiece in the making.

After centuries of bitter strife, the
seven powers dividing the land have beaten one another into an uneasy
truce. But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and
carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. Now, as the human crows
assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new
alliances are formed while surprising faces—some familiar, others only
just appearing—emerge from an ominous twilight of past struggles and
chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead. Nobles and
commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming
together to stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for
crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

My Thoughts: Holy cow! There were some major cliffhangers at the end of this book! I definitely can't wait to pick up the next book.

This installment was probably one of the more difficult of the series because there were a lot of new characters, many of whom I did not care about. A lot of my favorite characters weren't featured in this book so at times it was a little hard to stay interested. However, there were a lot of crazy things happening in the story that kept me wanting more. A character I really loved died and a character I really hate may be getting paid back for all their evil doings so there are some exciting things to look forward to in the next book.In addition to new characters, there were a lot of new conspiracies and really neat new settings. I am curious to see what happens in these new locales and how each of the new conspiracies play out. A Feast for Crows did take me longer to get through but I still think it is a really important part of the Song of Ice and Fire series and like all of the books, left me wanting more! 4 stars.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

I've been a little MIA lately and I thought I would let you know why, I FINALLY had my baby!! She was 5 days late so I was pretty excited when I finally went into labor.

This was taken the day before my water broke. I was pretty uncomfortable!!

I won't bore you with all the gory details but I was reading A Feast for Crows and had just gotten to a really good part when my water broke! After about 20-21 hours of active labor, she finally arrived!

Julia Elise was born on 6/28/13 at 6:05 pm and weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz and measured 21 in long. She is such a great baby! I am still trying to adjust to her schedule (or lack thereof) but things are going pretty well.

Doing a little tummy time yesterday!

I have been trying to get some reading done (the nook app on my phone is my new bff) and will continue to keep the blog up, things just may be slower around here for a while. I am participating in a couple of blog tours in the coming months so be on the look out for some reviews of great books!

Synopsis: Amanda Rosenbloom, proprietor of Astor Place Vintage, thinks she's
on just another call to appraise and possibly purchase clothing from a
wealthy, elderly woman. But after discovering a journal sewn into a fur
muff, Amanda gets much more than she anticipated. The pages of the
journal reveal the life of Olive Westcott, a young woman who had moved
to Manhattan in 1907. Olive was set on pursuing a career as a department
store buyer in an era when Victorian ideas, limiting a woman's sphere
to marriage and motherhood, were only beginning to give way to modern
ways of thinking. As Amanda reads the journal, her life begins to
unravel until she can no longer ignore this voice from the past. Despite
being separated by one hundred years, Amanda finds she's connected to
Olive in ways neither could have imagined.

My Thoughts: I don't read historical fiction set in in the United States very often but this story sounded so intriguing that I couldn't resist. Astor Place Vintage is set in New York City in both 1907 and the present day and follows the lives of two women as they deal with some major life changes.

Amanda is the main character in the present day portions of the story. She owns a vintage clothing story and has a very complicated personal life. I found her to be really frustrating at times. She's having an affair with a married man and wants to break it off but seems unable to. I think I was so frustrated with her because she is supposed to be 39 years old but when it comes to her personal life she acts like a teenager. I kind of wanted to shake her! I did find her obsession with vintage clothing to be really interesting and the descriptions of the different outfits she works with and wears were so neat. Amanda is also kind of obsessed with New York history and there were a lot of great descriptions of both past and present New York City.

Amanda 'encounters' Olive Westcott when she finds a journal in some old clothes she purchases from a dying woman. Olive is a single woman living in New York City in 1907. I loved Olive. She knew what she wanted and was willing to work her hardest to get it. She had some major struggles in her life but she handled them with grace and dignity. There were times where she was a little naive but considering her upbringing, it wasn't super surprising. I found it to be fascinating to see the kinds of difficulties working women encountered in the early 20th century; their pay was barely enough to live on and a single woman seemed to have hardly any rights. There were parts of the story that I was shocked at; I couldn't believe that a respectable woman like Olive couldn't stay in a hotel by herself!

I will admit, at times this book is a little creepy. Amanda visits a hypnotist to try to cure her insomnia and this somehow allows her to see Olive in the past. At first it seemed that her apartment was haunted by Olive's ghost but it was more like Amanda could 'see' Olive as she lived her day-to-day life. This was a very unique aspect to the story and kept me wondering what would happen next.

Astor Place Vintage is a thoroughly enjoyable read that features unique characters, really cool descriptions of New York City and is just a touch mysterious. I highly recommend it and once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down! 4 stars.

I received this book from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Stephanie
Lehmann received her B.A. at U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. In English from
New York University. She has taught novel writing at Mediabistro and
online at Salon.com, where her essays have been published. Like Olive
and Amanda, she lives in New York City.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Best:Shutter Island-I loved both this book and movie. I saw the movie first and was so surprised by how closely it matched the book.

Harry Potter-Do I really need to say anything about this?

Lord of the Rings-I have only read the first LOTR book but I think Peter Jackson did a fabulous job of adapting it for the big screen.

The Mists of Avalon-This miniseries is fantastic and the book is one of my favorites. Yes, the miniseries isn't exactly the same as the book but I think they stayed true to the story and the acting is wonderful.

Cold Mountain-This movie is so different from the book but I still love really love them both.

Everything is Illuminated-Honestly, this is one of those movies that I actually like more than the book. Seriously, if you haven't seen the movie, you really should. It was one of those movies that really stuck with me for a long time.

Worst:

The Horse Whisperer-I read this book in high school and LOVED it so when the movie came out, I had to see it. Boy, was I disappointed. They completely ruined the story and the movie was 3 hours long. It was awful.

The Other Boleyn Girl-I hated this book so I don't know what possessed me to watch the movie but I thought the movie was pretty bad too.

The Queen of the Damned-The Vampire Chronicles are some of my favorite books and The Queen of the Damned was one of my favorite in the series but the movie just didn't work. It was so different from the book and was kind of cheesy. It's only saving grace was a kick-ass soundtrack.

Julie and Julia-While the book really resonated with me, the movie just didn't. I liked the Julia Childs portions of the movie but the 'Julie' sections just seemed to fall flat. The movie wasn't able to convey some of the things that made the book so good.

Have you seen any of these movies/read any of these books? Thoughts? Are there any you think I missed? Leave a link in the comments so I can check out your list!

Monday, July 8, 2013

From Goodreads: 1943: Tucked away in the idyllic hills south of Florence, the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their ancient villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe. Eighteen-year-old Cristina spends her days swimming in the pool, playing with her young niece and nephew, and wandering aimlessly amid the estate’s gardens and olive groves. But when two soldiers, a German and an Italian, arrive at the villa asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis’ bucolic tranquility is shattered. A young German lieutenant begins to court Cristina, the Nazis descend upon the estate demanding hospitality, and what was once their sanctuary becomes their prison.

1955: Serafina Bettini, an investigator with the Florence police department, has her own demons. A beautiful woman, Serafina carefully hides her scars along with her haunting memories of the war. But when she is assigned to a gruesome new case—a serial killer targeting the Rosatis, murdering the remnants of the family one-by-one in cold blood—Serafina finds herself digging into a past that involves both the victims and her own tragic history.

Set against an exquisitely rendered Italian countryside, The Light in the Ruins unveils a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart.

My Thoughts: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have heard that Chris Bohjalian is a really good author but have never read his books. The synopsis for A Light in the Ruins really piqued my interest so I decided to give it a shot. I must say that I wasn't disappointed. The combination of modern day mystery with historical fiction made for great reading and I actually read the whole book in a single day.

The setting of this book was fantastic. I haven't read many books set in Italy, especially World War II era Italy, but I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Rosati villa and especially the Etruscan tombs. I felt like I could very easily picture the path that led from the house to the tombs because the author described the scenery so well. Bohjalian is very good setting a scene with his descriptions; the descriptions of the two murder scenes were so gruesome but led an air of authenticity to the story and there were a couple of scenes that were extremely creepy because the author described the sights and sounds so well.

I am a sucker for a good mystery and I love when a story involves both mystery and historical fiction into one book. Two members of the Rosati family are murdered in the "present" (1955 is the present in this book) but the reasons for their deaths can only be found in the past so the story goes back and forth between 1943 and 1955. I honestly didn't figure out who the murderer was until he was revealed. I had so many guesses and I was sure for most of the book it was one person and it wound up being someone I never would have thought. As I have said in previous reviews, I love when I can't figure out who the bad guy is! I did kind of feel bad for the murderer (weird, I know) but I could see where he was coming from though I did not agree with his actions.

One of the main characters in the story is Serafina who is the only female detective on the police force. I really liked her and enjoyed following her as she starts to remember what happened to her during the war and how the Rosati's played into that part of her life. I actually enjoyed reading about her more than the other characters because she had been through so much and was a true survivor. I thought the Rosati's were an interesting family but they seemed very spoiled and naive and it got on my nerves a little bit.

Overall, I thought this was a really good book and there was very little that I didn't like about it. It was very well-written and the secrets and mystery kept me glued to it until the very end. 4 stars.

Friday, July 5, 2013

I am so excited to welcome Anna Belfrage, author of The Prodigal Son, to the blog today!!

May
I start by saying thank you to Denise for participating in the blog tour for my
book, TheProdigal Son, and for being kind enough to allow me the opportunity
of doing a guest post for her aptly named blog.

A
pivotal role in The Prodigal Son is
played by Sandy Peden, the charismatic minister that has Matthew Graham risking
life and limbs by his steadfast support of the Covenanter cause. While Matthew
is a purely fictional character, Sandy Peden is not – and anyone familiar with
the history of the Covenanters and their persecution in the late 17th
century will, at some point or another, have stumbled over his name.

To
me, Sandy Peden – oops, Alexander Peden (Sandy to friends only, and I’m not
quite sure I qualify. “Aye, you do,” Sandy says, smiling at me. “You can’t help
being opinionated, loud and sadly uneducated in anything having to do with
faith and Bible. Now I could do something about that, and if you want we can
start by…” Jeez! The man can talk the leg off a donkey and then some!) – came
alive the day I stood in the National Museum of Scotland and peered at his
mask.

Alexander
Peden’s mask, photo D Monniaux

I
realise that the purpose of the mask and the attached strands of hair was to
disguise him, thereby leading me to assume he didn’t at all look like the mask
– I’d bet he didn’t have a beard. All the same, we know that Sandy wore this
contraption quite often, and maybe the soft leather acquired his overall
features. Whatever the case, when studying the mask I had my first clear image
of Sandy – a short, slight man that burned with restless energy, whose eyes
glowed with passion when he spoke about God, whose hands fluttered like
butterflies as he underscored whatever point he was making. A brave man, a
stubborn man – and a man convinced that his faith and his beliefs were the
right ones.

“Of course they are,” he sighs, sounding aggravated.
“You think?” I snort. “All that stuff about predestination, about the relative
importance of man and woman…”
“Pah! Just shows how little you know! Now, as I said before, I am willing to
take on the task of educating you – however much of a Sisyphus task that might
be.”
I ignore the little man. I’m not uneducated, thank you very much.
“Aye you are,” he says. “You have read so much, studied such varied subjects,
and how much of your academic efforts have you expended on God? On the Holy
Writ?” He sinks those luminous grey eyes of his into mine. “No, I thought as
much,” he says before fading away.

Alexander
Peden was born in 1626 and educated at Glasgow University. In 1662 he was
ejected from his parish New Luce, and from that moment on he spent the rest of
his life as a religious rebel, holding secret meetings out on the moors of,
predominantly, Ayrshire. Loudly he protested against the Church of England, his
sermons fortified his ever growing flock of die-hard Presbyterians, and despite
not being allowed to, he continued to baptise children, to wed and bury as
needed.

The
powers that were searched high and low for him, but Sandy had a canny ability
to blend into the landscape and to further confuse his pursuers he wore the
mask mentioned above. It is said that on several occasions he evaded capture by
praying to God for deliverance – which God duly supplied through the opportune
appearance of a thick fog, or driving rain, or clouds to cover the moon.

“God looks to his own,” Sandy puts in, scratching at his balding head. He
smells a bit, his dark coat is frayed around the cuffs and has a long tear down
the back that someone has sewn together rather sloppily. He looks tired and
dirty, and he keeps on coughing. He frowns at my inspection. “It’s not a life
of comfort to be constantly on the run.”
“So why not give up?”
“Give up?” Sandy raises fair, bushy brows. “I’m outlawed since years back.
They’d hang me off the first gallows they could find.” He caresses his scraggly
neck. “I don’t want to hang,” he murmurs. No, I imagine that would be very
unpleasant – even for a minister convinced that he’s earned his place in heaven.

No
matter divine intervention, Sandy’s luck ran out after ten years, and in 1673
he was captured and spent the coming five years on the Bass Rock. (Quite the
prison; a bald, rounded cliff standing some distance off Scotland proper, it is
difficult to escape from – unless you swim like a seal and have a comparable
layer of insulating blubber. It is said Sandy took the opportunity to preach to
his guards so as to guide them towards the light.) After this he was to be
deported to America and together with 60 others he was set aboard a ship to
London where they were to be transferred to another, larger vessel. However,
the captain of this vessel was incensed when Sandy informed him as to why they
were being deported, and so he released them, leaving them on the London docks.

“A right godly man,” Sandy laughs. “He would no more carry me off against my
will than he would have killed his mother.” He scratches at his chest. “Lice,”
he mutters, “and some fleas. Courtesy of His Majesty’s tender care, I reckon.”
“Or of living rough,” I suggest.
“That too,” he nods. He purses his lips. “Sometimes…”
“Sometimes what?”
Sandy shakes his head. “Nowt,” he says, smiling ruefully.
“Go on; sometimes…”
“… I long for a bed – a warm home, a family…” He stares off in the distance.
“God has ordained,” he whispers, “and I must obey.”

After this rather positive experience with the godly seafaring man, Sandy and
his companions walked all the way home (long walk…) For the remaining years of
his life, Sandy divided his time between Scotland and Ireland, always on the
run, always holding to his faith and preaching the word of God as he knew it.

Alexander
Peden died in 1685 – in his bed, as he’d prophesised.

“Of course,” Sandy says, brushing at his sleeves. “God allowed me one last
night of comfortable sleep.”
“That was nice of him,” I mutter. Seems the least he could do, given Sandy’s
unstinting service.
Sandy wags his finger at me. “You sound like Alexandra Graham. Now there is a
woman who is in serious need of guidance, but that husband of hers is too
besotted with her to do as he should.”
“He is?” I smile, thinking that if Matthew is besotted with Alex, she
definitely returns the favour.
“You know he is,” Sandy snorts. His face softens. “A marvellous woman, for all
that she is wild and half heathen.”
“Matthew isn’t too bad either,” I say.
Sandy chuckles and gets to his feet. “Well you would say so, wouldn’t you?
After all, you’ve made him up!” With that he is gone.

Upon
hearing Alexander Peden was dead a company of soldiers chose to disinter his
body, having the intention of hanging his corpse from the gallows in Cumnock.
There were loud rumblings among the people, and the Earl of Dumfries objected
to the proposed spectacle, so instead Sandy was reburied at the foot of the
gallows. In due course, an impressive monument was erected over Prophet Peden’s
final resting place. Personally, I think he wouldn’t be all that impressed;
Sandy never wanted a monument – all he wanted was the freedom to praise God
according to his beliefs.